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Rules assistance for Second World War at Sea: The Kaiser's Navy
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 30 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.5/5
Rules assistant for Second World War at Sea: The Kaiser's Navy
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Second World War at Sea: The Kaiser's Navy is an expansion for Second World War at Sea: Arctic Convoy released in 2012 30 minutes per game and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Michael Bennighof and James Stear and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Secret Unit Deployment, and Hexagon Grid.
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About the game
The Kaiser's Navy is a book supplement for the Second World War at Sea game series, exploring the alternate history possibilities had Imperial Germany survived the First World War and continued its naval expansion plans. There are 210 die-cut and mounted playing pieces: 70 double-sized "long" ship pieces, including two massive aircraft-carrying zeppelins (and extensive rules for airships in the SWWAS series), and 140 standard-sized ones representing task forces, submarines, aircraft and smaller warships. The pieces represent many of the ships of the High Seas Sea Fleet: modernized older dreadnoughts, modernized versions of the ships not completed, and some of those planned or discussed but never built. There are also two dozen new scenarios, or separate game situations, based on battles that might have been waged by the Imperial German Navy in the North Atlantic and North Sea. This module is not playable by itself, but requires ownership of Bismarck and Bomb Alley to enjoy most of the scenarios, and Arctic Convoy and East of Suez to enjoy them all. This expansion is considered to be part of the Avalanche Press Second Great War alternate history setting.
Designers
Publishers
- Avalanche Press Ltd.
Questions and answers
The listed playing time for Second World War at Sea: The Kaiser's Navy is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Second World War at Sea: The Kaiser's Navy for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Second World War at Sea: The Kaiser's Navy has a complexity rating of 3.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Second World War at Sea: The Kaiser's Navy belongs to these categories: Wargame, Nautical, and World War II. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Secret Unit Deployment, and Hexagon Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Second World War at Sea: The Kaiser's Navy are: Michael Bennighof and James Stear. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Second World War at Sea: The Kaiser's Navy as an expansion for Second World War at Sea: Arctic Convoy. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Second World War at Sea: Arctic Convoy to use it. Check that your edition of Second World War at Sea: Arctic Convoy is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.